Project overview

This project is designed to provide the necessary local air quality monitoring data and contribute to EPA’s strategic objective to reduce the risk from toxic air pollutants. The proposed work will analyze and monitor the concentration gradients and composition of hazardous air pollutants (HAP’s) from one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United States, the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTPK) for an entire year. The collected data will enable efforts to model and project distribution of HAP’s associated with the NJTPK.

Sampling Sites:

The sampling strategy is designed to capture the local concentrations of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) by sampling along a gradient at 30, 75 and 120m from the median strip of the NJTPK (Figure 1). These three sampling sites are located along an unobstructed flat plain perpendicular to NJTPK, designed to capture a motor vehicle emissions gradient from the NJTPK. The sampling platforms at these three sites will be fenced-in and constructed at a height of ~1.9 m above the ground and at least 5m away from any obstructions.

Figure 1: Location of Air Quality Monitoring Samplers as indicated by red dots

Site A                               Site B                             Site C
Click on the image to enlarge

Sampling Periods:

Two air-sampling approaches will be used for determining the ambient concentration gradients of PM_2.5, size distributions of particulate matter, PAHs and selected toxic trace metals from the NJTPK.  First, there will be a long-term routine sampling, and second, a short-term intensive sampling. In addition, the average of meteorological parameters including temperature, wind direction and wind speed will be measured during each sampling period using weather sensors attached to data loggers and used to interpret the air quality measurements.

·        Long term air pollution sampling - A 24-hour air pollution sample will be collected every sixth day for PM_2.5, trace metals and specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at three sites and for a period of one year starting in July 2007 and ending July 2008.

• Short Term intensive sampling – Intensive sampling will be conducted for two weeks with samples being collected twice per day for diurnal and nocturnal patterns.  Samples will be collected from 08:00 to ~ 20:00 and then from ~20:00 to 08:00 (the next day).  We plan to carry out two intensive sampling experiments: the first one during the hot season (July 2007) and the second one during the cold season (January 2008).  Sampling for PM_2.5, selected PAHs and toxic trace metals under this approach will be made at all three sampling sites. Samples to determine particle size-distributions and selected toxic trace elements will be carried out at a single site. The intensive sampling will provide seasonal and day and night particle load information for the targeted toxic trace element species.